Hiked this trail with my girlfriend on Sept 7th. I am 64 yrs young, but live at sea level (St. Pete,FL)
the first 3-4 miles not so bad, but once you leave the maintained trail it gets much tougher.
That combined with the lack of oxygen made me consider quitting several times. Luckily for me,
my girlfriend is younger and in better hiking shape, so I toughed it out. It was the best pay-off to a hike
that I have ever experienced. The view was spectacular. The sun on the lake and the reflection of the sky made it seem that you were in a painting. As with many places we have been, none of the pictures, as beautiful as they are, can quite hold up to being there. It was very hard to leave.